Refuse to pay alimony? The law thinks differently

When separated or divorced men and women do not pay the alimony they have been ordered to pay for two months consecutively, the money can automatically be deducted from their wages. A law to this effect has been approved in the Chamber of Deputies, Belgium's lower house of parliament.

Fri 12 Jun 2009 15:54

Up until now there has been no uniform rule regarding alimony payments in the case of refusal to pay by one party. From now on if the person who is paying alimony does not pay up for two consecutive months, the money will be taken automatically from his or her wages.

In the past it was more arbitrary. MP Sabine Lahaye (Flemish liberal of Open VLD) explains, "Some judges made it easy for this kind of measure to be taken, while other judges almost never ordered this to be done."

"The new law stipulates that a special wage delegation can step in if payment is due for two months. If a motion is put to the judge by the delegation the judge cannot refuse to take the necessary steps."

The calculation of how much alimony should be paid will also become more objective.

The judge can also oblige separated parents to open a bank account in the children's name. Child allowance for example could then be paid into this account.